June 6, 1944 will be remembered for many reasons. Some may think of it as a success and some as a failure.
The following essay this could be used to prove either one. The only sure thing that I can tell you about D-Day is this: D-Day, June 6, 1944 was the focal point of the greatest and most planned out invasion of all time. The allied invasion of France was long awaited and tactfully thought out. For months the allied forces of millions trained in Britain while waiting for the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, General Eisenhower to set a date. June 6, 1944 was to be the day with the H-hour at 06:30.
Aircraft bombed German installations and helped prepare the ground attack. The ground forces landed and made their push inland. Soon Operation Overlord was in full affect as the allied forces pushed the Germans back towards the Russian forces coming in from the east. D-Day was the beginning and the key to the victory against the Germans. Operation Overlord was in no way a last minute operation thrown together. When the plan was finalized in the spring of 1944, the world started work on preparing the hundreds of thousands of men for the greatest battle in history.
By June of 1944 the landing forces were training hard, awaiting D-Day. 1,700,000 British, 1,500,000 Americans, 175,000 from Dominions, and another 44,000 from other countries were going to take part. Not only did men have to be recruited and trained but also equipment had to be built to transport and fight with the soldiers. 1,300 warships, 1,600 merchant ships, 4,000 landing craft and 13,000 aircraft including bombers, fighters and gliders were built. Also several new types of tanks and armored vehicles were built. Two examples would be the Sherman Crab flail tank and the Churchill Crocodile.
On the ground Britain assembled three armored divisions, eight infantry divisions, two airborne divisions and ten independent fighting brigades. The United States had six armored divisions, thirteen infantry and two airborne divisions. With one armored division and two infantry divisions Canada also contributed greatly with the war effort especially when you look at the size of the country at the time. In the air Britain’s one hundred RAF squadrons (1,200 aircraft) paled in comparison to the one hundred and sixty-five USAAF squadrons (2,000 aircraft). The entire Operation Overlord was supposed to go according to Montgomery’s Master Plan which was created by General Sir Bernard L. Montgomery.
